In fact, one of the motives behind Baykov's mission to the Qing Dynasty was the fact that the Mongol envoy of the previous summer, a man named "Shuchinei", accompanied by the Bukhara merchant Ablin and the Barbatov, had sent an envoy to Moscow. Tsar Alexei was very interested in the narration of the Mongol envoys about the possibility of trade with China, as well as in the goods themselves as gifts.

Baykov, who happened to be in Moscow at the time, learned from the tsar's close ministers that among the gifts of these people was Chinese yellow satin, embroidered with various silk threads with lifelike birds and flowers, and some were even decorated with gold! In fact, among the gifts sent from Mongol tribal rulers such as Vetara, there has always been no shortage of Chinese goods, and they are definitely the top priority, both in terms of quantity and quality! The Russian merchant who accompanied the Mongol ambassador also brought in some of the same Chinese goods, the most important of which was rhubarb.

When he thought of rhubarb, Baykov had to salivate - this is a very sought-after medicinal herb in Europe! But pure rhubarb is only abundant in the mysterious Chinese Empire!

All Europeans are very reluctant to admit that rhubarb is a special medicinal material in China, and in this ancient capital, it has been used for medicinal purposes for more than 2,000 years BC. Around 114 B.C., rhubarb was trafficked to Europe, and since then, Europeans have known how effective rhubarb is for clearing away heat, reducing swelling and pain, reducing inflammation and stopping bleeding! In other words, rhubarb can be regarded as a medicinal material that is related to the national economy and people's livelihood, and is crucial to the healthy and sustained growth of the population and the stable combat effectiveness of the army!

In the twelfth century, the Italian Marco. Baltic East Tour. It is said that Liangzhou, China (now Wuwei, Gansu) produces rhubarb very abundantly. After hundreds of years of hard work, in 1640, England imported rhubarb from China via India.

Yes, hateful England again! Why can't any good things about China pull this small island nation? Ever since Spain annexed Portugal and the Netherlands Republic rose to prominence, the lords of England have begun to covet the northern shipping routes of Russia, with the aim of opening up the northern shipping routes to distant China! Although the sea explorers who were commissioned by the British crown often died in the cold Arctic seas, the exploration continued. However, the government of Moscow, which was poor and weak and had been plagued by war, was eager to contain the trouble at its own doorstep through an alliance with the island countries of Western Europe, and it always did not dare to blatantly veto the demands of the English. Fortunately, the northern climate and the limitations of the current field finds. So that such attempts by the island nation are always fruitless!

After all, now Moscow is not far behind. In the course of the continuous communication between the tribes of Central Asia and Mongolia, it seems that it was from the previous year (1653) that Russia finally began to buy rhubarb from the northwestern part of China on a small scale. Prior to this mission, Baykov had heard that the central government in Moscow intended to monopolize the trade in rhubarb from China. As the "exclusive monopoly" of Chinese rhubarb in Europe [1]!

No wonder before departure. Tsar Alexei was going to summon himself to that mysterious palace. Surrounded by a dazzling array of royal equipment, he was secretly deployed for two main purposes of the trip, one of which was to open up trade with China. Especially the sale of silk satin and this rhubarb!

Of course, the immediate priority is another of two objectives: the peaceful settlement of the military conflict in the Amur River [Heilongjiang] basin. If this problem is not solved, the purpose of opening up trade will naturally not be achieved.

In order to achieve this goal, the cunning Alexei resorted to two methods: on the surface, although the words of his letters to the Bogda Emperor of China were extremely elegant and affectionate, in the written instructions he gave himself through the Foreign Affairs Yamen, he clearly stated: Baykov must present the Tsar's letters to the Chinese Emperor; Negotiations with officials are not allowed in the first place. When entering the court of Bogda Khan, one must not kneel to the temple or the threshold; He was never allowed to kiss the feet of the Emperor Bogda during the audience, and he was not allowed to accept invitations to sit in the presence of envoys from other countries; If the Tsar title is not in the letter in return, the letter is not accepted, etc......

But God knows how the Tsar himself, who was in that old palace called the "Koromensk Manor", dictated to him Baykov that request that could be called "top secret"!

On that day, Baykov was led by the Tsar's close retainers to the Imperial Palace on the banks of the Moscow River, but instead of the "inner city" known to everyone - the "Kremlin", but a few versts southeast of the center of Moscow, to the lush, ancient Kromensk estate.

"Your Excellency, this is the private estate of His Majesty Tsar Alexei, and it is also the favorite country estate of all generations of tsars." As he walked, the attendant politely introduced to Baykov, who had come here for the first time.

Baykov smiled and nodded, fully agreeing. He knew very well that the attendant was so attentive not because of his own virtue or nobility, but because of his rubles. Of course, those few rubles are now in the man's pocket, the private property of the servants.

"This is the Church of the Ascension, it's ......," the attendant pointed to a traditional building with a brick and stone lower part and a wooden roof on the top.

"Oh, Your Excellency, I know. The base of this church is made of white stone to commemorate the birth of Tsar Ivan IV, who has been expecting to inherit the throne for a long time. Thanks to God's guidance, this is our first stone church in the shape of a tent in Russia! Although the 'white column' was not used according to the canon, it marked an amazing breakthrough for great Russia to stand out from the limitations of traditional Byzantine architecture! The wooden structure of the upper part of the tent is completely taken from the wooden structure of the tent roof that is common in our northern Russia, and it will also create a new style of Russian architecture! Oh, great Russia! May God bless the generations of tsars! ”

In order to highlight his aristocratic status and profound knowledge, Baykov hurriedly interrupted the attendant's explanation, supplemented himself, and proudly swore his allegiance.

"Your Excellency is really knowledgeable, hehe! May God bless our Emperor [2]! The attendant echoed, smiled and stopped talking, but hurried away.

"Your Excellency, I will see His Majesty the Tsar in a moment, is there anything I need to pay attention to?" Baykov seemed to sense that something was wrong with his complacency, changed his humble attitude again, asked sincerely, and once again handed over a generous gift of ten rubles.

"Oh, your honorable Excellency, you are so gracious!" The attendant smiled and took the small cloth bag, weighed it in his hand for a moment, and then stuffed it into his own pocket.

"You don't really have to do anything, just listen to my emperor's arrangement. You know, His Majesty Alexei is by far the smartest absolute monarch of all Russia! The attendants said in a mysterious way, but they were dutiful, and they were targeted at Baykov, who was a little reckless and showed his talent for some reasons.

"Oh...... Yes, thank you for the timely reminder! Baykov understood that the attendant was right, and nodded his head in obedience.

Baykov began to silently review in his mind all the rumors and information he had about the young Tsar, and was very grateful for the reminder that his Tsar was indeed extraordinary! In front of him, it should be low-key, low-key, and low-key!

Alexei. Mikhailovich. The tenth Tsar in Russian history and the second Tsar of the Romanov dynasty, Alexei was born in Moscow on March 19, 1629. As a prince, he received a good education from an early age. His father, Tsar Mikhail. The Romanovs appointed Morozov, the most famous scholar of the time, as his son's teacher. Under Morozov's tutelage, Alexei began to read and write at the age of five, reading the Psalms and Acts of the Bible at first, learning to write at the age of seven, and at the age of nine in a church choir. By the time he was twelve years old, he had accumulated enough books to build a small family library. In addition, Alexei also systematically learned grammar, diplomatic etiquette, musical instrument playing, mounted archery and other knowledge and skills, especially geography!

In 1643, Tsar Mikhail issued an edict to the whole country, and Alexei was officially made crown prince. Two years later, in the summer of 1647, Tsar Mikhail died of illness, and Alexei, who was only sixteen years old, succeeded to the throne. In Moscow at this time, you can hear all kinds of officials open and close their mouths saying "Tsar Alexei became one of the most learned people in Russia when he was a teenager" and other "beautiful words", or heartfelt praise! Whether it is true or not, if you really show off your knowledge in front of this monarch, the result can be imagined!

Walking under the leafy ancient trees, the dense forests on both sides of the trail give people a rather mysterious look. Baykov always felt that the trip would be a "mystery tour......

Sure enough, in a splendid wooden palace, Baykov once again met His Majesty Tsar Alexei. This was the second time I had met the Tsar, but the last time was in the Kremlin, surrounded by many Moscow nobles and bureaucrats, large and small. And this time, the two of them were the only ones left in the room - it was a secret summons!

After Bajkov figured this out, he couldn't help but get a little excited. Once he becomes the tsar's "favorite minister" or even "close minister", the glory and wealth behind him will naturally not be a problem......

(Chapter to be continued)

"A limerick poem. Hidden Head

Reading literature and reading history is only a long breath

I was saying that there was an opportunity back then

The layout is a long-cherished wish

It's hard to come and go

Get up and spend a hundred years

Point out the suffering and diseases of the world

The edge of the town was razed to the sea

Wen'an Wuding tears of joy

[1] In real history, for more than 100 years after that, the Russian government did use Chinese rhubarb as a monopoly in Moscow. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the export of rhubarb was in short supply, and it had a good reputation in the international market.

[2] The eulogy here is not the national anthem of the Russian Empire in the nineteenth century, "God Save the Tsar", but merely an honorific. In the real history of the seventeenth century, the Tsar was only addressed by Russian subjects as "Tsar", "Grand Duke" or "Despot", and the term "Emperor" should not have been used in formal settings. (To be continued......)